News / Bristol Apartheid Free Zone
Better Food stops selling produce from Israel
Better Food shops across Bristol no longer sell any products made in Israel.
The business has announced it is supporting the Bristol Apartheid-Free Zone (BAFZ), who describe themselves as “a group of Bristolians who will no longer tolerate the suffering inflicted on the Palestinian people by the state of Israel”.
The BAFZ campaign calls for “our neighbours and our local shopkeepers to boycott produce grown or manufactured in Israel”.
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Better Food have four shops across Bristol on Sevier Street in St Werburgh’s, on Whiteladies Road in Clifton, on Gaol Ferry Steps in Wapping Wharf and on Gloucester Road.
Their decision to support BAFZ has been described by one shopper on Instagram as “a slap in the face to all of (their) Jewish customers and colleagues. Boycott the Israeli government? Sure! Boycott an entire people because of the actions of its government? No.”
Better Food have not stocked Israeli products for some time but have now publicly declared their support for the Bristol Apartheid-Free Zone – photo: Martin Booth
In a statement, Better Food said: “We believe that building a better, fairer food community begins with making better, fairer decisions about the products we source.
“To help make those decisions, we follow stringent sourcing principles when choosing what to stock and what not to stock.
“This includes our support for the BDS Movement’s call, inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, to pressure Israel to comply with international law, meaning that you will not find any Israeli products stocked in our stores.
“As with all of our products, we use our values, common sense, and the needs of our customers and our business to make the best sourcing choices we can.
“We’re not perfect, and there’s always more to learn!
Main photo: Martin Booth
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